Tag Archives: Glacial Movements

Switched On – Vigilant – Threads of Memories (Glacial Movements)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Described as balancing ‘raw sonic exploration with a strong sense of atmosphere’, Dmitry Polivenko delivers his first solo work as Vigilant for Glacial Movements.

Taking up the story, he describes the album as “an exploration of memory, nostalgia, and the passage of time. It reflects a feeling that returns to me every year—a yearning for a fleeting moment of happiness preserved deep within my childhood. Winter, with its silence and wonder, remains one of my earliest memories: sitting wrapped in a blanket on a sled, carried through snow-covered streets by my father. Today, I walk those same streets alone, guided by fragments of the past. Time can feel like a storm that clouds our vision and pulls us away from ourselves. Yet beneath the weight of accumulated experiences, expectations, and endless information, there remains a quiet certainty: beyond the noise, beyond the dreams and fears, lies the possibility of rediscovering who we truly are. This album is a journey through that landscape of remembrance and self-discovery.”

What’s the music like?

As evocative as the cover art. This music is deep as the ocean but weather-beaten too, its elemental power immediately obvious as the slowly shifting harmonies evolve with the slow tread of a ship or an iceberg.

Winter has his house is as cold as you would expect, though some of the more consonant harmonies raise the temperature a little. By contrast Lullaby is not so restful, with a searching treble line.

There is an icy, industrial air to the likes of Cold silent love but a contrasting charm to the quieter Crystals, which operates above a soft, sonorous drone amid footsteps in the snow. Here Polivenko appears to be channelling childhood memories of being pulled through icy streets on a sled by his father.

Into the black light is shifty and twisted, a fever dream in the snow, resolved by the bright consonance of Somewhere, whose sweeping beauty looks skyward.

Does it all work?

It does, and with its quieter central core the album is ideally structured.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Vigilant writes powerfully from the heart, and the remembered threads of the title combine here to make a substantial and lasting piece of work.

For fans of…Loscil, Tim Hecker, Schneider TM, O Yuki Conjugate

Listen / Buy

Published post no.3,060 – Tuesday 27 October 2026

New Music – Netherworld: The Hermit (Glacial Movements)

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adapted from the press release by Ben Hogwood

Glacial Movements, the ambient and electronic music label founded in Rome in 2006 by Alessandro Tedeschi (Netherworld), celebrates its 20th anniversary with the release of The Hermit, a collection of restored archival recordings from the early 2000s. These recordings, originally stored on deteriorated CD-r and Minidisc formats, were recovered and restored to reveal early experimental sounds full of mystery and emotional depth. These earliest sound experiments emerged while the Netherworld project was still evolving, years before Glacial Movements came into existence.

“I have been going through one of the most difficult periods of my life”, says Tedeschi. “The last two years have had a profound impact on my existence, with a succession of dark thoughts, moments of high tension, and anxiety. At times, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Inevitably, this has had a significant impact on my professional life, on the management of Glacial Movements, and on the Netherworld project. One rainy day a few months ago, I was home alone with my three-year-old daughter Dafne. The sky was gray with clouds heavy with rain and strong storms. I was in my studio working when, at one point, Dafne started pulling my entire collection of CDs, accumulated over the years, off the shelves. They were all scattered on the floor, total chaos reigned.

As I was tidying everything up, I noticed that there were some old CD-Rs and minidiscs with “2002” and “Netherworld” written on them. I had completely forgotten about these sounds… they were my first experiments, unreleased, never published and never heard by anyone, composed with very basic, low-quality equipment, but full of mystery. I used a microphone to record sounds captured from metal surfaces, broken toys, breaths, voices, and a Tibetan gong. The only synth used was the Novation A-Station rack. I realized that the physical media had deteriorated over time.

Together with my friend and sound engineer Matteo Spinazzè, we carried out a lengthy process of recovering and restoring the audio files. Unfortunately, some of them were completely corrupted and therefore lost forever. However, seven of these files were made available again. Listening to them was a succession of strong emotions. Although they were made many years ago, they resonate with my current state of mind. Anguish, loneliness, darkness… I felt like a hermit, alone in the glacial vastness of my essence. The photos accompanying the artwork are very old, dating back to the first scientific explorations of the 1900s in the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the planet. They were chosen and selected from the archives of museums and libraries in Sweden, Australia, and Wales.”

Glacial Movements has steadily gained international recognition in the ambient and electronic music scenes. The label has collaborated with a wide array of notable artists such as Rapoon, Lull, Aidan Baker, Machinefabriek, Scanner, Murcof, Oophoi, bvdub, Loscil, Paul Schutze and many others, as well as supporting lesser-known talents. Their collective work reflects themes related to the pristine nature of the Great North and addresses urgent issues like climate change affecting the planet. The label expresses gratitude to its artists, audience, and the specialized press for their ongoing support and engagement with Glacial Movements’ activities.

The Hermit will be released on 29 June 2026

Published post no.2,882 – Saturday 9 May 2026

Switched On – Erland Cooper: Asleep On The Wing EP (Mercury KX)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Erland Cooper always has his eye on future projects…so it is no surprise to see him following up his Orcadian odyssey Carve The Runes… with a new ambient EP. Composed as a sister piece to Do Birds Dream?, it renews his close link to bird life – and the weightless release of flight.

The piece is divided into five sections, and there is a shorter edit, but Asleep On The Wing works best as a one-off experience.

What’s the music like?

Immensely restful. What is noticeable is how at ease Erland Cooper is with longer form compositions – and as a result Asleep On The Wing evolves at a natural pace.

With comforting surrounds of ambience, the music grows around a central, sonorous drones, with piano flicks and harp-like sonorities drifting in and out of consciousness, musical images that gain focus for a while before becoming blurred again.

Around the seven minute-mark in the full version the ambient fuzz descends, as though in a deeper sleep, but still there is a depiction of a longer, restful time on the wing – like the murmuration depicted in the sleep visualiser on YouTube but similarly evoking a big bird of prey, a condor in the Andes for instance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLkNWWVXJLY As ever, Cooper’s orchestration is thoughtfully crafted, for while Freya Goldmark is credited as a featured artist her violin is rarely in the foreground – yet there are signs of colouring before the bird calls at the end, which suggest a gradual awakening. Meanwhile human voices occasionally appear in the distance.

Does it all work?

It does indeed…and makes for a very calming 22 minutes.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Once again Erland Cooper has made a lovely score that rewards close inspection while forming a blissful backdrop.

For fans of… Tim Hecker, Biosphere, Stars of the Lid, A Winged Victory for the Sullen

Listen / Buy

For streaming and purchase details, visit the Mercury KX website

Published post no.2,479 – Thursday 20 March 2025

Switched On – Amphior: Disappearing (Glacial Movements)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

For his second album in Glacial Movements under the Amphior alias, Danish musician Mathias Hammerstrøm explores the point where tangible dissolves into ethereal.

It is a deeply personal exploration, as he explains. “The album is a meditation on anxiety and the longing for a time when it had less sway over me. Reflecting on my childhood, I remember how playing the piano was deeply meaningful to me, and crafting Disappearing felt like reconnecting with my younger self through the music.”

What’s the music like?

The eleven tracks here cast a wide net, their moods very different as though experiencing different hours of the day. Some of them cut off abruptly, as though passing through a door from tangible to intangible.

Under The Stars has a suitably wide panorama in its musical outlook, with low piano and spacious textures, the sky arching overhead. By contrast Time Is A Thief has softer and slightly more ominous musings, its added notes portraying the anxiety Hammerstrøm mentions before growing in power.

Echoes From The Past presents a lighter picture, though is slightly wobbly on its feet, while other tracks are much less certain in outcome. The eerie Costume Party briefly resembles the fuzzy nostalgia at the chilling close to The Shining, while some tracks, notably Bring To Light, collapse into disconcerting fragments.

Disappearing itself has an impressive grandeur, a distinctive loop asserting itself against a texture the listener can dive into, while the clock ticks ominously through the fuzzy Bloom. Everything Is Passing has a good deal of musical wow and flutter, removing the firm ground from the listener’s feet before ending in cold ambience.

Does it all work?

It does, and Mathias Hammerstrøm’s music often plays tricks with the listener’s sense of perspective. This is overall a good thing, though can be quite unnerving at times.

Is it recommended?

It is. Amphior’s latest has some highly descriptive music in its eleven short chapters, and though anxiety is never fully quelled it is certainly confronted with the overall ambience of Mathias Hammerstrøm’s distinctive writing.

For fans of… Tim Hecker, Biosphere, Aphex Twin

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,473 – Friday 14 March 2025

Switched On – Lia Bosch: Polar Code (Glacial Movements)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Story, visuals and music come together in the work of Italian Lia Bosch, the first woman to record on the Glacial Movements label in its history. Described as ‘a multi-dimensional work that encourages deep reflection on existential and social themes’, Polar Code unfolds with the following plot:

Polar Code unfolds through a story set in an abandoned alien base in Antarctica, a remote and mysterious location where ancient human experiments once took place.

The protagonist, a researcher sent by a secret government agency, is tasked with investigating unusual activity detected in the region. Upon arrival, he encounters a desolate, eerie landscape filled with darkness and secrets, where every corner hides traces of a vanished alien presence that still feels ominously close. As the researcher explores the facility, he comes across the symbol of infinity, a glowing, pulsating portal that seems to be the key to understanding the connection between all life forms in the universe. This symbol becomes the focal point of the narrative, conveying a profound message about interconnection: every human action, every choice, has repercussions that extend beyond time and space.

The researcher is thus plunged into a deep existential reflection on his own existence and humanity’s role in a vast, intricate cosmos. The symbol of infinity, laden with meaning, is not merely a scientific discovery but an ethical and philosophical call. It embodies a profound truth: no matter how separate or superior humans may believe themselves to be, they are an integral part of a universal, interconnected system. The information contained within the symbol offers humanity a chance for redemption and salvation, but it also demands an acknowledgment of human fragility and the oppressive structures that underpin society.

The protagonist faces a crucial decision: to accept the revelation of the symbol and risk disrupting the global order, or to turn away from the opportunity to change humanity’s fate. This choice presents a profound moral dilemma, in which the potential to reform society—currently rooted in exploitation and conflict—collides with the risk of unleashing further destruction. Bosch delves into the tension between the need for renewal and the dangers inherent in transformation. Polar Code stands out as a work that transcends simple storytelling, weaving together sound, images, and words to provoke reflection on power dynamics, human fragility, and cosmic.

What’s the music like?

Compelling – and not a little eerie.

Polar Code opens with thick ambience, the remoteness of the location described by music that is simultaneously comforting and a little oppressive, the audio equivalent of lying under a thick duvet.

Gradually the sonic perspective widens and Bosch reveals her descriptive powers. Secret Frequencies pulses with activity, while the frequencies reach higher in Resonance. Stepping Beyond caries with it the danger of exploring hidden places and dark corners, the thickness of the sound closing in. Unknown System and Alien Circuit provide a little relief from this but presents mysterious vistas, created through subtle harmonic implications.

As the explorations continue so Bosch’s noise spectrum broadens still further, with long notes of New Parameters ushering in the striking scenes of Unveiling, where single notes in shrill timbres paint vivid pictures. Infinity has a sprawling, semi-industrial outlook, still cold but with various machine workings spotlit. Gradually the sound retreats, with Insight offering a reflection then a sonorous blast of ambient noise.

Does it all work?

Yes, but is all the more effective if the listener has the story close by. Then the full range of Lia Bosch’s painting in sound can be fully appreciated.

Is it recommended?

It is indeed. Polar Code presents a cold outlook and is often bleak in its canvas, but there is real storytelling afoot here, and for Bosch to achieve that in a small number of meaningfully deployed notes is most impressive.

For fans of… Loscil, Autechre, Cabaret Voltaire, Tim Hecker, Biosphere

Listen & Buy

Polar Code is released on Friday 5 December – at which point you will be able to listen to it via Bandcamp here:

Published post no.2,381 – Monday 2 December 2024